A CHURCH is celebrating the arrival of a new stained glass window to honour the men who constructed the original building.

After a five-year quest, the congregation of St Joseph's RC Church, in Belgarth Road, raised the £9,000 to pay for the window. And on Thursday a special service was held to dedicate the window to the church and the people who built it.

Among them was 76-year-old Jan Filippini, who was among the gang of young men who rolled up their sleeves to build the church 53 years ago, and one of his fellow grafters from the old days, Jim Harling.

They used stones from an old bank in Haslingden to build the church to hold the growing congregation in that part of Accrington who previously worshipped at the mother church, Our Lady in Huncoat.

Preaching at the service was the first curate at St Joseph's, Father Kevin John Kenny, who is also the Dean of Black-burn. Current priest, Father Martin Saunders, was joined by other former priests and afterwards members of the congregation were invited to take part in a small celebration.

Church member Eddie Donnelly said: "The window has just been finished. We have been collecting for about five years now. The bulk of the money has come from church subscriptions and it cost around £9,000, so it took a long time to raise."

The idea for a window came from former parish priest, Father Peter Birming-ham, now parish priest at St Mary's in Sabden.

He said: "We had a lovely stained glass window on one side of the church but nothing to balance it on the other. The church will be much more beautiful now."